Playbooks

GL Rub Under

Shotgun·Trey Open·11

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Quick Reference

FormationShotgun

SetTrey Open

Personnel

111 RB · 1 TE · 3 WR

In 2 playbooks

Bengals OffenseOffense NFL Live Bengals OffenseOffense

Breakdown

GL Rub Under is a man beater built around a rub concept on one side that picks off trailing defenders while an underneath crosser sits in the vacated space behind the traffic. Out of Trey Open Shotgun with 11 personnel, the tight end and a receiver stack releases to create the natural rub, and the third receiver works an under route across the middle to settle into the void created by the pick. The primary read progression starts with the rub route winning immediately off the line, moves to the under route sitting down against zone, and finishes with the backside receiver as a checkdown or scramble option if the initial reads are covered.

Defensive Reads

Watch for a corner or safety sitting on the rub route pre-snap, which signals a banjo or switch call designed to counter the pick. Identify if the defense is playing man across the board by checking for tight bump coverage on the outside receivers before the snap. Post-snap, key on the underneath linebacker responsible for the hook zone since a slow drop opens up the under route immediately. Look for a user controlled defender sitting in the middle of the field, often a lurking linebacker or safety, since this is the primary threat to the under route. Cover 3 and Cover 1 with aggressive man technique tend to get exposed by the rub design, while disciplined zone match coverage with a robber underneath can shut this concept down.

Usage Tips

Check for man coverage indicators like tight press alignment or a single high safety before the snap since the rub concept thrives against man matchups.

If the defense shows zone with linebackers sitting at depth, prioritize the under route sitting down in the hole between the underneath zones.

Use a hot route to slide the backside receiver into a shallow drag if you anticipate a blitz, giving the quarterback a quick outlet against pressure.

This play works best on third and short to third and medium since the rub and under combo generates natural separation for a high percentage completion.

Pair GL Rub Under with Mesh or Stick from this set to keep defenders guessing between rub releases and traditional mesh crossers, forcing linebackers to hesitate on their zone drops.